WesternU College of Dental Medicine Commencement: Finding Fulfillment
Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Dental Medicine held its Commencement ceremony on May 13, 2025 in Pomona, California. Graduate speaker Roshiel Sanchez De Guzman, DMD ’25, said dental school is hard, but the weight was lightened knowing that there are people silently praying and loudly cheering for them. Also, the faculty provided support and guidance and served as a fountain of knowledge, sass and advice. She learned the importance of spending time with the people you care about.
“This profession is demanding and even acknowledging what it took to have a seat here, we had to make the difficult decisions to forego family events, shorten time with loved ones and decline invitations in pursuit of becoming a dentist,” De Guzman said. “Now that we are here, though, let us not forget to spend a little more time with the people that helped put us here. Arriving at a milestone like this really makes me think about life. And I imagined what mine would look like in 50 years. If I could go back to this moment in time with all my people around me, I think I would want to linger around the dinner table for just a second extra or lean into the long goodbye before getting into my car at the end of the night.
“I promise that when the sharp hand of nostalgia inevitably takes hold, I will look back fondly at all of you and cherish the memories we made studying for exams, assisting each other, and celebrating our small victories,” she added. “Although this feels like the bittersweet end of a chapter, I had to remind myself a commencement actually means a beginning. I hope you all do amazing things both in dentistry and outside of it.”
CDM Dean Elizabeth Andrews, DDS, MS, reminded graduates to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in every endeavor.
“Let your WesternU education be a beacon of humility, kindness and altruism as much as it is a testament to your professional achievements. Strive to broaden horizons for others just as they have broadened them for you. Engage with your community and make a meaningful impact on the lives of others. This is the key to preserving the pride and joy you feel today,” she said. “Remember each patient brings their own unique life story. Take a moment to connect with them. Be compassionate, humanistic and give them the touch that will define your success because it’s that human touch that will bring them to you once again, and it will bring you immense fulfillment.”
CDM graduate Ramy Farag, DMD ’25, was part of the College’s International Dentist Program. He practiced dentistry from 2007 to 2021 in Kuwait and Egypt, and he will now practice in the U.S. after completing his DMD at WesternU. He chose CDM because this provided the most hands-on skills training for dentists. Dentistry is the same everywhere – you have to care about your patient, he said.
“Dentistry as a profession combines both the artistic and the scientific,” Farag said. “I also love working with my hands, so the one profession that combines all those things together was dentistry.”
